My Whole30… Recipes, Info, & Babble :)

If you’re like me, you’ve been wanting to give your body a little cleanse and fresh start for a while, but you just can’t find the right time to start.  There’s always something getting in the way- time, an event, having no will-power.  Eh, let’s stop there- having no will-power.  That’s me… it’s hard for me to commit to saying no to the things I love.  “But I looove cheese” I’ll grumble.  Sound like you?

With summer right around the corner, I thought now seemed like the perfect time to get it together and go for it.  I gave my home a major spring-cleaning, why not give my body one, too!?  I’ve done cleanses a couple of times in the past… so I know it feels good.  What I haven’t yet done though is a Whole30 cleanse.  A whole what??  Whole30… I’ve been reading and hearing about it for a while, and finally decided it was time for my own Whole30 attempt.  It’s the most simple, straight-forward, and sensible cleanse I’ve seen to date.

For those who don’t know about Whole30, it’s basically a 30-day eating plan to reboot your system.  You eliminate all inflammatory and junk foods so that your body can flush out the crap and start fresh.  This though, unlike the Master Cleanse or other more extreme cleanses, is easy on the body and, wait for it… still involves eating yummy goodness!  Yep- lots of good eating goes down.  I don’t think of it as a diet- it’s more of a lifestyle shift to help bring health and well-being to the forefront of our lives.  You just eat whole foods, non-processed foods, and non-inflammatory foods for 30 days (or however long works best for you- though 30 is recommended).  No dairy, no sugars, no legumes, no grains, and no alcohol- give your body a break from all those toxins and bloating foods.  Whoa, that’s a lot of no’s!  Is that what you thought?  I did.  For a girl like me, a girl who loves wine and cheese (love is an understatement- I literally bite cheese directly from the block- oops), eliminating these foods felt daunting… gruesome really.  But, despite all these no’s, I knew there’d be a really big yes at the end of this journey if I gave it a go- a yes to me feeling good.  Cheesy sounding I know, but true… my body needs this little wellness-reboot.  Whose doesn’t?  Even the healthiest of folks need a reboot from time to time.  🙂  And, let’s be honest, feeling less bloated in a swimsuit this summer sounds pretty awesome, too.  As does feeling energetic, balanced, and gut-happy, too!  I know plenty of people who have taken the plunge and all are super thankful they did.  Many have now chosen to take it to a Whole60 and even a Whole90.  I make no promises… I am just taking it one day at a time, but so far I’ve been loving every day.  Here are some reasons why:

1- Not only do I love proving to myself that I have some will-power after all (who knew?), but I feel good, too.  I’m eating more nutritiously- I already thought I ate well, but now instead of grabbing some crackers and cheese when hungry, I’ll grab an avocado and whip up some sautéed spinach instead.  It feels good… I like feeling healthy.  🙂

2- I’m feeling creative!  I love a good challenge.  With this plan, I need to be more creative with my cooking.  Rather than adding honey to a sauce- my normal sweetener go-to, I must think outside the box.  I might use a date or maybe a little chopped apple instead.  It’s fun… I’m pushing myself to think like an artist in the kitchen!

3- I’m doing something good for myself.  I so often cook for others… because I want to make others happy (I’m Greek- if you know a Greek, you know how important feeding others is to us 😉 ).  Now, I’m cooking for me… to make my body happy.  What a concept 😉

I’m making this plan work for me… I know I have a lot going on this month- 2 weddings, 1 baby shower, 1 bridal shower, 1 bachelorette party, 1 birthday out of town, and a 3-day camping trip.  (Yikes!)  These things are bound to bring some temptation… and simply put, I’m not perfect.  Shocker, I know.  😉  So I may allow myself a toast at a wedding or two, but for the most part, I’ll be following this plan the best that I can.  I find it helpful to see what others eat during food-journeys such as these- to get ideas and inspiration, so I’m tracking every little thing I nibble on and cook during my Whole30 journey for others to see.  Please follow along, ask questions, and tell some stories of your own if you wish, too!

In a perfect world, there’d be time to plan out a variety of well-balanced meals for every day, but like most of you, I work a full-time job and am busy living, so I use what I have on hand and make the most of what I can.  Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t do things perfectly… we are all just trying the best that we can. ♥

Check out THIS site to read more about Whole30 if you’d like… it’ll surely make more sense than I do 😉

For more Whole30 recipes (and recipes that can very easily be made Whole30), check out this link HERE and THIS link… tons of Whole30 recipes from some of my favrtie food bloggers!!

 

Here’s what I’ve been eating… 🙂

{With lots of water and some fresh juices in between}

B=Breakfast

L= Lunch

S=Snack

D=Dinner

Dt-Dessert

* I use ghee for pretty much all cooking- occasionally olive oil or coconut oil, too.  Ghee is considered lactose-free since the milk solids are removed, so it’s a perfect Whole30 cooking fat! 🙂  For more info about ghee, check out my link HERE.  (While most people with lactose sensitivities- like 99%- can handle ghee no prob, a small population cannot… know your body before making any new changes to your diet!).

*Fermented foods (sauerkraut, for example) and bone broths are great healthy additions during any cleanse- for a homemade bone broth, see my recipe HERE!

*For condiments, either make your own or read those labels well!  I make my own BBQ sauces, salad dressing, and sauces at home… for mustards and such, I choose the cleanest ones I can.  If you can’t pronounce an ingredient in something, chances are you shouldn’t be eating it 🙂  For mayo- homemade is recommended since store-bought uses canola oil.

*I’ve been incorporating essential oils into my cleanse… they’re a fabulous natural way to help the body release toxins, support healing, and boost the metabolism and immune system!  I’ve been taking classes and learning about the use of oils specifically in cleansing… for more, check out my page about essential oils HERE!

*See EWG’s notes on how to eat clean HERE.

Follow my Whole30 snacks and munchies on my Instagram HERE! 🙂

PS: You can have coffee on Whole30 if you’re a coffee drinker, just without dfairy and sugars, of course!  I drank my coffee with either pure coconut milk (the canned version tends to be cleaner than the boxed) and almond milk… which I made from scratch super easily HERE!

Day 1:

B= 1 poached egg with avocado

L= Tomato-basil salad

S= Stuffed baby bell peppers with arugula, garlic, & onion

D= Chicken breasts stuffed with artichoke heart, sun-dried tomato, spinach, & garlic

Spinach salad with strawberries, peaches, fennel, & spiced walnuts

Dt= Banana & coconut milk smoothie w/cinnamon

 

Day 2:

B= 1 egg over sautéed spinach, kale, & chard with avo & tomato

L= Purple potato & green bean salad

S= Avocado w/coconut aminos

D= Artichoke-kale soup

 

Day 3:

B= 2 hard-boiled eggs, clementines

L= Leftover kale soup

S= Green salad w/tomatoes, and some pickles!

D= Spaghetti squash with bison meatballs & marinara sauce (recipe HERE!)

Day 4:

B= Blueberry, kale, & coconut water smoothie

L= Leftover spaghetti squash, clementines

S= Lettuce wraps with cucumber, carrot, & turkey

D= Salad with greens, grilled chicken breast, and sautéed veggies

Dt= Clementines & cinnamon

 

Day 5:

B= 2 egg scramble w/ghee-sautéed onion, fresh arugula, and 1/2 an avocado (homemade hot sauce, recipe HERE)

L= Other 1/2 of avocado, almond butter with shredded coconut (unsweetened), steamed broccoli

S= Sautéed Mushrooms w/Ghee, Garlic, & Parsley over Arugula

D= Grilled chicken salad w/beets, avocado, carrots, cukes, clementines, sprouts, spinach, and pepitas

 

Day 6:

B= Smoothie with banana, cherries, coconut milk, & On Guard essential oil (read more about oils HERE!)

L= Green salad with butternut squash, avocado, peas, beets, and veggies galore

S= Oranges & almond butter

D= Grilled chicken “teriyaki” (without soy or sugars), green salad with avocado and macadamia nuts, & cabbage slaw

 

Day 7:

B= Egg “crepes” with sautéed mushroom, peppers, & onion w/avocado and tomato

L= Brussels sprouts w/balsamic glaze and salad with hard-boiled egg, chicken, and beets

S= n/a (big lunch!)

D= Baked sweet potatoes stuffed w/chipotle chicken & kale and a steamed artichoke (recipe coming soon!)

Day 8:

B= Scrambled eggs with spinach, peppers, avocado, and fresh salsa

L= Leftover sweet potatoes & chicken

S= Tomato, cuke, & avo salad in balsamic glaze, handful of pistachios

D= Taco-style salad… I made tacos for the mister, so I made a delicious salad with all the goodies for me- with natural spicy cilantro chicken sausage (read the ingredients for things like this- make sure there are no sugars, preservatives, or junk whatsoever!), sautéed bell peppers and onions, cabbage, salsa, guacamole, and lettuce

Dt= Almond butter w/shredded coconut

 

Day 9:

B= Eggs in pepper-rings

L= Green salad w/tomatoes, avocado, egg and red pepper dip

S= Veggies & guacamole (also made bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with cream cheese and bacon-wrapped asparagus, but I didn’t have any… talk about will power!)

D= Turkey soup (with homemade bone broth) along with cauliflower, broccoli, & zucchini

 

Day 10:

B= Smoothie w/banana, strawberry spinach, coconut milk, and a homemade essential oil blend of lemon, lavender, and peppermint (my own pick-me-up mix!)

L= Salad with pickled beets, avocado, tomato, carrots, broccoli, and a balsamic-nutritional yeast dressing along with some almond butter sprinkled with shredded coconut on the side

S= Lettuce wraps w/turkey, tomato, & mustard and small handful of almonds

D= Chicken curry w/zucchini, onion, kale, broccoli, snow peas, garlic, and scallions (almond-curry sauce: curry powder, raw almond butter, fresh ginger, a splash of apple cider vinegar, a squeeze of orange, crushed red pepper, coconut milk, paprika, and lemon juice- seasoned with salt and pepper)

 

Day 11:

B= Apple slices with a sprinkle of cinnamon & a splash of lemon oil (DoTerra essential oil) with almond butter

L= Leftover chicken & veggie curry

S= Avocado & tomato salad

D= BBQ swordfish w/basil-lemon-garlic sauce, green salad, and butternut squash with crispy ghee’d sage leaves

 

Day 12:

B= 1 hard-boiled egg and 1/2 avocado

L= Salad w/greens, tomatoes, avocado, pickled beets, broccoli, carrots, hard-boiled egg, and balsamic-nutritional yeast dressing

S= Sliced chicken breast with lettuce, tomato, & mustard

D= Greek-style red potatoes & green beans (recipe HERE) and chilled Brussels sprout salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 13:

B= Smoothie w/banana, strawberry, spinach, water, and lemon essential oil and eggs w/sautéed peppers

L= Lettuce wraps w/tomato, turkey, avocado, & mustard

S= Marinated green olives and some pistachios

D= Spicy grilled chicken breast with a large salad tossed in guacamole and fresh salsa

B= Almond butter & shredded coconut

L= Snack plate: pickles, turkey, tomatoes, and carrots

S= Smoothie w/banana, strawberries, avocado, beet, & coconut milk {Whole30 ‘sorbet’}

D= Bison burgers w/butter lettuce ‘buns’, homemade pickled jalapenos, caramelized onions (with ghee & balsamic vinegar), avocado, and tomato along with a grilled apricot-basil-arugula salad and steamed cauliflower. (The meal was a His & Hers… his burger had a bun, mine did not- his side of the salad had buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto, mine did not)

Day 15:

B= Sweet potato hash browns, a ghee-fried egg, and avocado

L= Turkey ‘sandwich’ lettuce wrap (and a pickle, of course!) and an energy shake (almond butter, banana, fresh date, cacao powder, & coconut milk beforehand).  We went on a gorgeous hike, so I drank the energy shake before and then brought the lettuce wraps to have a picnic mid-hike!

S= Fresh apricots & cherries

D= Random & quick little veggie tapas… spicy garlic green beans; sautéed mushrooms w/garlic, onion, a splash of vinegar, and ghee; and Brussels sprouts with caramelized onion in dijon-coconut amino sauce (for any details/recipes, feel free to comment below and I’ll answer asap!)

 

Day 16:

B= 2 poached eggs w/serrano salsa, arugula, avocado, & tomato

L= Steamed cauliflower and 1/2 avocado w/coconut aminos

S= Pickles

D= Fresh ahi tuna salad w/sesame dressing

 

Day 17:

B= Smoothie w/spinach, avocado, frozen strawberries, beet, banana & doTerra lemon oil {avo+lemon oil= perfection)

L= Celery stalks with almond butter, avocado w/coconut aminos

S= Small tomato salad w/balsamic

D= Root vegetable soup (pureed carrots, sweet potatoes, onion, cauliflower, and garlic)

 

Day 18:

B= Smoothie w/spinach, banana, frozen strawberries, avocado & doTerra lemon oil

L= Celery with almond butter, 1/2 avocado, tomato and spinach salad w/grilled chicken

S= Fresh strawberries

D= Butternut squash with brown-ghee’d sage leaves (sage cooked in ghee until crispy and delicious) and a green salad

 

Day 19:

B= Poached egg w/avocado, tomato, and homemade chile sauce {Recipe HERE}

L= Roasted sweet potatoes with coconut ghee {make your own like THIS– minus the honey for Whole30- or buy it pre-made HERE!}

S= Avocado half with coconut aminos

D= Slow cooked Latin-style chicken breast over cabbage slaw and with mango salsa and a steamed artichoke

 

Day 20:

B= Poached egg w/fresh arugula

L= Salad w/leftover slaw and mango salsa

S= Snow peas

D= Baked sweet potato w/chipotle chicken & kale along with roasted asparagus (recipe HERE)

 

Day 21: (Went to San Francisco the prior night to spend with weekend with some girlfriends, so I had to get creative with my snacks since home-cooking wasn’t an option)

B= We went to the Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Napa for the day for a friend’s b’day, so I grabbed some snacks for the road in case the restaurant didn’t offer Whole30 options- packed a green veggie juice, a bag of almonds, guacamole, and slice veggies… breakfast was the juice and almonds

L= Grass-fed hamburger with lettuce wrap and a green salad (restaurant made an accommodation for me- no mayo or ketchup and replaced green salad for fries)

S= Veggie sticks (jicama, carrots, and celery) with guacamole

D= Roasted sweet potato w/coconut oil (was too tired after our day for a big meal)

 

 

Day 22:

B= We went out to a late brunch/lunch in SF, so I grabbed a green veggie juice in the morn

L= Another lettuce-wrapped burger with green side salad

S= Went to a fresh cold-pressed juice truck and got the most amazing raw almond-coconut-vanilla milk and popped by a deli for some roasted Brussels sprouts w/mushroom, roasted red peppers, and onions (made w/olive oil and fresh herbs)

D= Large green salad w/peas, beets, hard-boiled egg, kale, and cashews

Dt= Shake w/banana, coconut milk, cinnamon, & date

 

Day 23:

B= Banana, almond butter & coconut milk smoothie

L= Hard-boiled eggs tossed with red pepper dip over arugula (make-shift egg salad)

S= Avocado w/coconut aminos

D= Whole roast chicken w/braised vegetables and cauliflower puree (recipe HERE!)

Day 24:

B= Poached egg w/fresh arugula

L= Leftovers: roast chicken beast, vegetables, and cauliflower puree

S= Avocado w/coconut aminos

D= Soup w/homemade bone broth/stock, leftover chicken, and veggies

 

Day 25:

B= Omelet w/sautéed spinach & mushrooms (no cheese)

L= Salad w/chilled Brussels sprouts, avocado, and butter lettuce

S= Handful of almonds

D= Lamb rib chops w/mashed sweet potatoes & spinach saute (made this recipe, without the pinot drizzle- I had a teeny piece of lamb and lots of veggies)- recipe HERE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 26:

B= Smoothie w/avocado, spinach, strawberries, & lemon oil

L= Salad w/arugula, spinach, roast chicken breast, avocado, & tomato

S= Pickles

D= Grass-fed beef meatballs stuffed with avocado (recipe HERE) and a portobello mushroom-spinach-red pepper- onion-avocado-ham-poached egg stack (tough to explain, but recipe also coming soon!)

Dt= Shake with almond-coconut milk, banana, & ice